Natural Flavors & Fragrances.

Conagen is a global leader in the development and manufacturing of natural flavors and natural fragrances. A large percentage of the products we make through enzymatic conversion or culture of bacteria and yeast are for the fragrance and flavor industries. Our scientists work with amino acids, proteins, fatty acids, lactones and lipids, and phenolics and flavonoid molecules to create a full portfolio of flavors and fragrances.

Many products on the shelves in stores nationwide contain flavors and fragrances as well as natural colorants coaxed out of nature by Conagen scientists. Our flavor and fragrance development and manufacturing capabilities include these natural ingredients:

• Mint flavors and fragrances
• Fruit flavors from lactones – peach, strawberry, orange, vanilla, coconut
• Orange peel fragrances and flavors
• Hot pepper spice from capsaicins
• Sandalwood scent
• Floral fragrances from terpenoids and carotenoids – rose and violet scents
• Natural colors from flavonoids and carotenoids – orange, red, yellow, purple

Vanilla through fermentation – an example of how Conagen creates natural flavors

We often point to our production of natural vanilla flavor as a strong example of how fermentation creates the best of nature.

Of course, vanilla flavor can be derived from the vanilla bean (which means going through a complicated supply chain and the issues surrounding that—from sourcing to sustainability factors to shipping). It can also be bio-manufactured in Conagen’s facilities by fermentation. Doing so greatly simplifies the process of producing a high-quality natural flavor—without destroying forests, being dependent on rainfall and other weather conditions, dealing with local suppliers in faraway places, or worrying about what could happen during shipping.

Our scientists and engineers manufacture the same vanilla flavor by simply transferring the biology of the vanilla bean to the broth of a fermentor. Our strain development and carefully controlled enzymatic bioconversion processes create a system for making vanilla that is not only better for the environment and more efficient with resources, but is also stable, scalable, and delicious.

Custom flavor and fragrance production

At Conagen, we can customize the natural flavors or fragrances our partners seek. We employ a team of flavorists—tasting experts whose palate and knowledge guide our engineers and help determine the best formulations. If you have a specific flavoring or fragrance that is difficult to source, talk to Conagen about custom flavors and fragrances.